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Myanmar and Bangladesh sign an accord but Buddhists, Hindus, and others need protecting

Myanmar and Bangladesh sign an accord but Buddhists, Hindus, and others need protecting

Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The nations of Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed a tentative accord aimed at allowing Bengali Muslims to return to Rakhine providing they meet certain requirements. However, it is clear that military leaders in Myanmar and political leaders in Rakhine are worried that ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) Islamists may utilize the situation. At the same time, indigenous Buddhists and Tribal Groups in Rakhine – and minority Hindus – all fear fresh attacks by ARSA Islamists and being flooded by constant Bengali Muslim migration.

Therefore, it is abundantly clear that Myanmar faces a very complex situation because if the armed forces pull out too much in parts of Rakhine – and Bengali migrants return to Rakhine in vast numbers despite not being indigenous to this part of Myanmar – then ARSA may launch a fresh terrorist and sectarian attack against indigenous Buddhists. Of course, ARSA Islamists will also attack Hindus and small Tribal Groups including the Mro throughout Rakhine, if a fresh attack emerges against the armed forces of Myanmar. Hence, it is essential that Buddhists, Hindus, and Tribal Groups become protected from Bengali Muslim terrorist attacks in Rakhine. This equally applies to the endless land grab that is emerging against the indigenous of this part of Myanmar.

It must be stated that ARSA Islamists began the latest crisis after launching attacks in several parts of Rakhine. Equally important, Bengali Muslims and ARSA Islamists both attacked indigenous Buddhists and Tribal Groups including the Mro – while, as usual, Hindus were brutally murdered by Bengali Muslims in Rakhine. Of course, for Hindus, the history of past Islamic invasions that butchered untold numbers, along with the reality of what happened to this faith in Bangladesh and Pakistan after India was carved up, means that many Hindu communities in Rakhine fear Islamization and further religious attacks. Therefore, the government of Myanmar must protect various indigenous groups in Rakhine, while also protecting Hindus from fresh Bengali Muslim massacres.

China is worried about outside meddling given the joint ventures of several leading NATO nations and Islamic countries in recent times. After all, international meddling and the politicization of charities and humanitarian groups is a constant bane that is leading to untold suffering. Hence, the destabilization of Iraq, Libya, and Syria, to name only three, is a complete failure based on the deaths of vast numbers and the religious cleansing of small minorities. Given this reality, China is seeking to further strengthen military ties with Myanmar.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander in Chief of Myanmar, said, “The situation must be acceptable for both local Rakhine ethnic people and Bengalis, and emphasis must be placed on the wish of local Rakhine ethnic people who are real Myanmar citizens.”

The Reuters news agency said the signing between Myanmar and Bangladesh “…took place after a meeting between Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Naypyitaw.”

Yet, for Buddhists in Rakhine, they must fear the meddling of international nations along with the negative role of charities, the mass media, and so-called humanitarian groups. This is based on the demise of Hinduism in Bangladesh and the threat towards the Buddhist and Hindu faiths in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh that was met largely by silence.

Modern Tokyo Times reported, “Bengali migrants are being manipulated in order to impose Islamization by stealth on the mainly Buddhist tribal groups (some follow Hinduism and other faiths) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. The same process is happening in Rakhine, Myanmar, to the detriments of indigenous Buddhists, tribal groups, and Hindus. Hence, the Bengali Muslim land grab in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rakhine, acts of Islamist terrorism in Rakhine, Islamist indoctrination, the role of Gulf petrodollars, and other negative realities, all equates to the crushing of indigenous Buddhism and various tribal groups in this part of Myanmar.”

Overall, outside nations should refrain from meddling in the internal affairs of Myanmar. Instead, this nation should be supported for choosing the democratic path. Equally important, the role of Bengali Muslim migration in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rakhine can’t be brushed under the carpet. This applies to the Bengali Muslim land grab and the ensuing shadow of Islamization that threatens to engulf all non-Muslims throughout the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Rakhine. Therefore, the government of Myanmar must protect and consider all indigenous sections of Rakhine, who fear another Chittagong Hill Tracts is in the making.